Time to bring more certainty?

There was an interesting letter in this newspaper (July 4) about the state, politics and finances of the Ta' Qali Crafts Village.

I am aware there are some Maltese who oppose what they call interference from foreigners about Malta; however, as a regular tourist I feel my views are valid.

I make no political points, as this is not for me to comment upon. I am aware that things like this and bus service improvements take forever to tackle. This may be through incompetence, or for other less acceptable reasons.

Returning to Ta' Qali year after year for over 20 years, I notice these changes. There are many companies and individuals there that work very hard, produce wonderful items and try to keep their areas accessible to the public.

Some retailers have resorted to large amounts of imported items to, I presume, keep their heads above water during the difficult times of recession and low winter tourist numbers.

The uncertainty of the on/off moving of the Crafts Village must also put off new ventures from thinking about setting up there until the situation is sorted. This used to be a major tourist attraction, especially for the famous Maltese silver items, hand-blown glass, pottery items, miniature houses and so on.

Due to poor customer numbers, some of the smaller establishments are not always open. This in itself leads to less custom. It also encourages, as mentioned above, the sale of maybe too much imported stock in order to keep the operation profitable.

Even some of the large operations seem to import some of their stock, although I have never managed to get an answer when I asked.

One of the worst things in business is uncertainty. People can cope with good or bad news, but as anyone who invests in the stockmarket will know, there is nothing like uncertainty to bring down the value of stocks.

Malta is a great country. Sure, it has problems - as do all countries - it is small and, consequently, money is in short supply for government-backed incentives. Maybe now is the time to bring more certainty to Ta' Qali both for tourism and locals.

I hope this issue is sorted soon and I look forward to continuing to visit and doing business with traders at the Crafts Village, wherever it may be. Whatever happens, it must remain a village, rather than a series of market-style stalls in a big warehouse site. Good luck to all concerned.